Having lit the match that fired same-sex marriage back onto the government’s immediate agenda, the five Liberal rebels have left Malcolm Turnbull with a dangerously smouldering issue that will burn on…

Malcolm Turnbull has called a special Liberal Party meeting for Monday afternoon.
Richard Wainwright/AAPAugust 3, 2017

Just like Tony Abbott in 2015, Malcolm Turnbull is heading into a perfect storm on same-sex marriage. And as it was for Abbott, it has the potential to be very dangerous for him. There is a big question…

Peter Dutton is working on the assumption that same-sex marriage will be dealt with in this parliamentary term.
Dan Himbrechts/AAPJuly 23, 2017

Malcolm Turnbull’s resistance to a royal commission into banks is flouting public opinion and will test his own backbenchers, who have their fingers on the electoral pulse on this hot-button issue. An…

Malcolm Turnbull and Christopher Pyne were the only ministers on the frontbench in the House of Representatives when Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch introduced his private member’s bill to legalise same-sex…

A message to Tony Abbott is seen at floral arrangement in front of Parliament House in Canberra.
Lukas Coch/AAPAugust 10, 2015

For the second time this year Liberal MPs have asserted themselves over their leader. Making it clear they wanted a contest for the speakership, with no attempted “captain’s pick”, was nothing like the…